Want To Be Close
by Kuroi Onee-san
Summary: They never met as adversaries, rather, as enemies. But after the end, Homura thought about something that was unfulfilled between them. Oneshot, canon-verse. MamixHomura, for Salary Dam. R&R?


**A/N: **Wondering about the pairing? Well, this is because of certain someone—okay, from my partner in crime's blog **Salary Dam**, this is one of my OTPs so far in Madoka Magica, err the first one still Kyouko/Sayaka though. This idea crossed over my mind after some image-searching—I mean fangirling. Then somehow I got mixed up feelings when I saw some description on SD's blog that indicate something…and voila! I opened my MW and here I am. The timeline…I decided to put up from the first and going onwards. Okay, maybe a little bit confusing.

The title, after a short time pondering about it, I changed the idea of 'Bond of Enemies' to this title. A song just popped into my mind. _Want to Be Close _is a _P3 _insert background theme, which was sung by Kawamura Yumi and composed by Shoji Meguro.

**Warnings: **Well, I hope you enjoy this crack-piece, even if my English isn't that good shot. Even if there'll be LOTS OF and HEAVY IMPLIED MadoHomu hints. OOC, and very little amount of shoujo-ai. And sorry if there are grammatical errors, English is not my first language. Beta is open, if you would ^^

**Disclaimer: **PMMM is owned by Gen Urobuchi, Akayuki Shinbo and Aoki Ume, not me.

**Summary:** They never met as adversaries, rather, as enemies. But after the end, Homura thought about something that was unfulfilled between them. Canon-verse, MamixHomura, for Salary Dam. R&R?

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><p><strong>Want T<strong>**o Be Close**

2011 © Kuroi-Oneesan

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><p>From the beginning, they never met as friends. They never meant to be partners; they never meant to be anything. Just two simple individuals who gradually met as time flies and event went on. They only met eye and eye, fighting separately, rarely talked, and even in one time, they actually were enemies, ganging up on each other.<p>

They began everything simply, just because a _certain_ incident—

x x x

"Homura-chan, are you interested being as Puella Magi?"

An excited Kaname Madoka eagerly offered. The three of them enjoyed a little tea party in Tomoe Mami arrangements. That day, a scared Akemi Homura was rescued from a Witch attack by the two other magical girls. Kyuubey was present there as mediator of the dialogue, and seemed like Homura was quite interested to be a Puella Magi, but thinking back, she discarded the feelings about it because of her inabilities and insecurities.

—And because she didn't have any present wish.

"We'll be grateful if you joined with us, Akemi-san." Tomoe Mami encouraged. "We still need help; even though Kaname-san will be pro before Walpurgis Night comes."

With such small meetings, everything mixed up. Homura followed the two when they were hunting witches, being introduced with Grief Seeds, watching the battle's thrill—

—But, when Walpurgis Night came, Mami couldn't endure such force. Her Soul Gem broke into pieces as the mother of witches came by. Madoka, as the only Puella Magi that present, must annihilate Walpurgis Night at once to protect the mankind, even in cost of her life…

Because of Madoka's death, Homura became Puella Magi. She looked back last to the remained corpse with such pained look.

—_And the time winded backwards._

* * *

><p>"I see that she can stop time…"<p>

Tomoe Mami looked surprised, as how her _kouhai _ Kaname Madoka introduced Akemi Homura, a quiet girl in glasses who said that she was a Puella Magi. When Homura demonstrated her ability, somehow Madoka and Mami were astonished by it. Homura was tired by it, but looked like she was succeeded.

"Hmm…but I think she couldn't properly use it." Mami ended her comments. "That was great, Akemi-san. I hope you'll do an improvement to add it."

Small smile formed on Homura's lips, indicated that she was happy that the two accepted her being as Puella Magi. After that meeting, Homura began to make items to help her time ability, such as bombs. In such while, she has joined the fight, not only being the watchers, but the player, such improvement as Mami said.

But, the end was same—no, it was worse.

Mami was killed by the hands of Walpurgis Night again, and Madoka turned into witch as her Soul Gem darkened. Homura learned that Kyuubey tricked them, tricked them to be Puella Magi to hunt witches just to be witch itself. Everything—every truth was too cruel to be accepted by the bespectacled girl. Homura cried out in despair, beneath the corpse of Madoka—

—_And the time winded backwards._

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><p>"Huh? Kyuubey tricked us?"<p>

Sayaka Miki couldn't accept any mince of words and explanation that Homura said. Madoka and Mami who were present there were not amused by the situation. Sayaka sighed, said that Homura was teamed with Sakura Kyoko, a certain Puella Magi which was a dorky threat to them. Madoka was being a moderator of the talk while Mami only eyed at them.

"Besides, I'm not good with your sudden explosion," Sayaka huffed. "I'm tired of it."

The atmosphere was heavy.

"Akemi-san, don't you have any other weapon?" Mami asked in worried tone.

Homura shook her head.

The meeting was disbanded, seemed like Madoka couldn't help but to comfort Sayaka from blurting out to Homura, and Sayaka silently ignored Madoka's protest. The night passed slowly, but then that night, Homura was stopped by Mami while the bespectacled girl was on the way to her home.

"Akemi-san, I think I know a perfect weapon for you."

The moon was gleaming in the night on Mitakihara Town; Mami accompanied Homura into old warehouses quite far out town. There was no one there beside them.

Confused, but couldn't move to ask, Homura stayed silent. Mami transformed into her battle suit, with her strong ribbon, she made the steel door broke just a moment, made Homura gasped in surprise. There were drums, crates and boxes lying in the room there on order, looks like this warehouse was used by someone before, not an empty or rusted one.

"This is my favorite place for training," Mami explained. "All of these crates are empty."

"…T-Then, why were you ask me to come here?" stuttered Homura asked.

"To introduce you to my favorite weapon—guns, Akemi-san," Mami smiled. "Since it could do long-range attack, using guns wouldn't be as hard as using swords, spears or arrows that need quite a practice. You just need to relax, aim, and pull the trigger and…BAM!"

Mami mimicked, she summoned one of her muskets and fired once to the broken door, made it holed with heavy bullets of musket.

"To-Tomoe-san, so-someone will see us!"

"Don't worry, this place is abandoned. Even there were still boxes and all," the elegant senpai chuckled. "But police checked this area often, so I tend to move from place to place to train, there were many place like this out of town."

Homura watched in awe as Mami danced with her musket, shot another bullets to the nearby drums.

"… I must say that this is the real shooting range. I picked guns here and practiced to shoot with it, crates and drums were my target." Mami continued to brag. "Well, that's my opinion. The choice is yours, Akemi-san."

Homura nodded, "Thanks, Tomoe-san, I'll think of that…"

x x x

Their fate ended miserably after that, after Sayaka Miki's witch outbreak, everything went awry. Mami shot Kyoko's Soul Gem, made the red girl died instantly, her ribbon wrapped around the next victim—Homura.

"There's no more choice rather than die!" full in despair, Mami pointed her gun to the struggling Homura.

"To-Tomoe-san, NO!"

_CRASH_

Madoka intercepted Mami, killed the senpai first before she finished Homura off. Cried and frustated, Madoka spend the rest of time to mow down, Homura tried to cheer her up, said that Walpurgis Night will come soon and they must defeat it together.

The fate was different, but nothing good. Both of their Soul Gem darkened, that was how it should be. Madoka actually revived Homura's Soul Gem, and Madoka died as she transformed into witch.

There was no different in other timeline, Homura still tried and tried to make the good ending, seeing her friends died in front of her very eyes from time to time. That was such a sad view for the black-haired Puella Magi who travelled alone all this timeline.

One day, she came into conclusion that the way to stop Madoka for being a Magical Girls was to avoid her met with Kyuubey or Mami. Yeah, Tomoe Mami was the veteran all the time, all the timeline. Hatred began to grow as Homura advanced from time to time, rescued her beloved friend—

—_And the time winded backwards_

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><p>"I have business to take care of…"<p>

Cold gaze of purple met with gleam yellow orbs. Homura who tried to kill Kyuubey was spotted by Mami in that time. Mami still wore her worry-free smile and Homura poker-faced all the way.

"You don't understand, don't you? I won't kill you this time."

By the threat, Homura fled from her place, leaving Mami and the stunned two behind. After the first warning, Homura always came back to Mami when she was stalking Madoka to ensure that the girl didn't do any contract with that white thing.

x x x

"_It belongs to you alone."_

Homura rejected the Grief Seed gift of Mami with rather sulky face. Mami on the other hand of course not amused by this. Mami encouraged Homura to tell her story but it seems like Homura will rather fled or commented in sarcasm tone and disappeared.

x x x

On one night forward, when Mami walked in the park when patrolling to search for Witch and Familiars, Homura showed up out of nowhere.

"Don't you understand?" Homura said in low tone. "You're putting an outsider in danger."

Mami turned to face those icy stare of purple; somehow she wanted to make a sour expression, but she ended to put a smile by the sight. After quiet reasoning and little Madoka and contract talk, the dialogue reached its conclusion.

"I don't want to fight you, but—"

"Then let's try not to meet again, okay?" Mami kept her cool. "I think tonight is the last time that we'll be able to settle thing with words."

Mami left the park but Homura stayed behind. Her whispers and her emotions were blended within the wind blows.

"…_Baka."_

x x x

That time, again, Mami died. She was swallowed by the Witch Charlotte, after ignoring such protest that Homura said earlier before Mami started to fought the Witch.

"Take a good look. This is what it means to be a Puella Magi."

Homura gritted her teeth, she bit her lips. Madoka and Sayaka were stunned to see Mami's headless corpse, blood oozing its peak and her favorite tea cup was scattered near the blood pool. The black girl sighed softly, somehow she was tired, but she regrets it, even after seeing Mami died several times, she saw the corpse intently before it disappeared with the Witch's maze.

"_I've warned you, baka."_

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><p>That end was different from any other end. It ended, at least, in happy way, although it was sad that everyone couldn't remember about the pink-haired girl. Madoka's wished for the Witches destruction, even though chaos still crawled on the Earth. Everything went okay, although Homura and the others have to see Sayaka died once again. The rest that was left within Homura was Madoka's warm, Madoka's red ribbon, and her power to avenge Mystical Beast. The others who present beside her were Mami and Kyoko, nothing more and nothing less. They were fighting back to back to decrease the Mystical Beast population on Earth. Homura smiled more frequently this time, she often spend her time playing with little Tatsuya, regarding their fond memories of Madoka.<p>

Something left, unfulfilled.

That afternoon after school, Homura pondered awhile in the bench park alone. She wore Madoka's ribbon and gazed at the sky afar. Kaname family was not there at the moment, and she was taking break from Beast hunting that day. Purple eyes narrowed at the sky, deep in thought.

_Come to think of it, everyone was befriended with Madoka, e__specially for Ma—Tomoe-san. That senpai was like a sister figure from time to time, she was assisting Madoka and others, fight for justice. But she never really wished for it. She looked depressed to know the truth about Soul Gem; wait, is she was fighting for her own…happiness? Wait, no, that can't be. She taught me how to use gun back then, saying that fighting was great. Did she enjoy the battle because she didn't have any choice? What was her wish?_

_And…she __must be—lonely?_

"Akemi-san?"

Her trail of thoughts stopped as she heard her name being called. Homura turned to see Tomoe Mami was there, stood near her bench and was holding her school bag.

"U-Umm, what is it, Tomoe-san?"

"How about we have a tea this afternoon? You seem have nothing to do." Mami offered. "…My treat, of course."

Homura smiled a little and nodded, "Okay."

x x x

They moved to Mami's apartment far in center of Mitakihara Town. There was nothing, no more people except expensive furniture, cake sets and tea sets. Homura never been on Mami's house for long, it was only on the first timeline when she was introduced into Puella Magi world. Homura took a seat on the cushion while Mami going to arrange teas and cakes.

"Where's Kyoko?" Homura asked, having no topic to ask about.

"She said she was going to train station again today," Mami frowned. "She must still at loss."

Train station, which was the last place where they saw the cheerful Sayaka Miki fend off the Mystical Beast, and that, was the last moment Madoka and Homura shared. Sakura Kyoko on the other hand was still at lost of how her life ended, for a boy named _Kyousuke Kamijou_.

"I see…"

After a while, Mami came to the main table, brought a cake rack and two cups of tea, "Well, it's rare for you to take up my offer, Akemi-san. What's wrong?"

"I-Is something wrong with that?" Homura somehow blushed, "I just feel like it. I never talked to you so often before."

"Is that…maybe because we were too focused on each other problem?" Mami let out a chuckle. "It's nice to talk to you, though, Akemi-san. I thought that you were anti-social at first."

"How…so?" come to think of it, Homura was showing hostility to Mami on other timelines. Homura then looked downwards. "…I'm sorry for what have happened back then."

"No need to apologize, Akemi-san. We could start every relationship again and again, right?" the older girl smiled. "Was something happened? We only have met half-month ago."

The black girl shook her head. "Umm, that's…another story."

As the little tea party going on and on, a sudden question popped out in Homura's mind. A question that didn't even bother she asked to Mami from any other timeline. Homura took few sips to her tea before asked.

"Were you…lonely?"

"…Lonely?" Mami paused at the word. "Well, not really. Even though I lived alone all this time, I still have you, Sakura-san and Kyuubey."

"Oh…" Homura lip formed a warm smile. "That's good, I mean, I see that you were—"

"My, Akemi-san, are you worried about me?" Mami teased as she began to take a sip to the Rose tea that she made.

Flustered, Homura gaped a little, "N-No, not really. I-It's just…I saw it like…that!"

"Tee he, don't worry about me too much, really." The older girl lowered her cup. "I'll never feel lonely if everyone I care is by my side and safe."

Such words moved Homura. Well, it was nice to know that her question was tentatively answered and the person was not bothered by it. Yeah, she was satisfied by the answer.

When the clock strikes six, Homura went home. If she went home late, she would miss the train. Mami accompanied her to the door.

"That was delicious, thank you, Tomoe-san." Homura bowed and went to the front shoebox to wear her shoes.

"…Will you come again next time?" Mami asked before Homura reached the door. "We will invite Sakura-san next time, okay?"

Smiled, Homura turned,

"Yes, I'd love to."

x x x

_At the last moment their souls sing  
>Along haunting voice of lone shadows<br>Hoping they could search for lost minds  
>Will they come through intimacy?<br>Want to be close  
>Want to be close<em>

(**Want To Be Close –Reincarnation–** by Kawamura Yumi)

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><p>—<strong>End<strong>


End file.
